I should probably make my opening gambit for this piece with an apology. Sunderland mugged Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in what can only be described as daylight robbery, such was the away side’s dominance during the 90 minutes and came away with an unlikely, yet spirited point.

The game opened in quite remarkable fashion, with both sides throwing caution to the wind and employing cavalier, all-out attack which saw the scores level at 1-1 inside of five minutes.

It was a rip-roaring opening to a game, the likes of which I can’t remember witnessing previously, but it wasn’t long before the game settled into what would become a familiar sense of control for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. However, the Argentine will undoubtedly be left furious that his side were unable to finish off the Black Cats and earn the victory they certainly deserved.

That being said it would be remiss not to credit Sunderland for some promising resilience which Gus Poyet has unearthed this year, coming from behind twice to steal a share of the spoils. Make no mistake, this is a game in previous years which Spurs would have won by three, four or maybe more goals, however, Sunderland look a much more robust outfit this term and simply kept going till the very end.

The main talking point in the pubs around the ground before kick-off was undoubtedly Poyet’s decision to drop Steven Fletcher from the matchday squad altogether, with January’s new arrival, Ricardo Alvarez, arriving on loan from Inter Milan, handed his debut.

It was a real baptism of fire for the Argentinean international, who at times looked a little overwhelmed at the pace of the game and indeed the physicality as he was hit with a number of hearty challenges before being substituted in the second half.

Remarkably, Sunderland could even have nicked all three points right at the death but substitute Will Buckley was only able to lift his effort over the cross bar much to the disbelief of the home fans – a genuine gilt-edged opportunity.

The game itself was yet another in which Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole stood out for the Black Cats with a performance which really set the tone for the game itself as the Teesider led by example; battling, competing and covering every inch of that pitch for the cause.

The centre of the park was often a congested area on Saturday, yet Cattermole’s presence and experience was vital to try and stem the flow of Spurs pressure, which was led by the impressive Christian Eriksen.

Sunderland’s desire and willingness to run themselves into the ground till the death was certainly good to see from a fans perspective, however, there is still a burning desire to get the first win on the board.